Guthridge Group - Acute Myeloid Leukaemia

Goals

To understand the mechanisms by which intracellular signalling pathways become corrupted in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cells leading to deregulated cell survival, proliferation and growth. By targeting leukaemic cell survival, proliferation and growth, we aim to develop new therapeutic approaches and treatments.

Research Focus and Tools

Kinase and phosphatase signalling pathways in hemopoiesis and leukaemia

The group

Research Overview

The human body produces 1,000,000,000,000 blood cells daily! This occurs largely in the bone marrow and is a massive undertaking that must be very tightly controlled. Growth factors and cytokines are key regulators of blood cell production through their ability to control a number of fundamental biological responses that include cell proliferation (cell division), cell differentiation (commitment to a more mature cell identity) and cell survival. Critically, deregulation or &ldquo;short-circuits&rdquo; in the intracellular signaling pathways that regulate each of these cellular responses represents a classical hallmark of cancer and can lead to over-production of blood cells and leukaemia. The overall research focus of the Leukaemia Research Laboratory lies in understanding the fundamental molecular mechanisms by which cell proliferation, differentiation and survival become deregulated in leukaemia in order to identify new therapeutic targets and treatments.